ANNUAL REPORT FOR CHARITY COMMISSION
Settle Community Library – Year Ending 31/3/2021
At the beginning of the year the Library was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, remaining closed until 30 July 2020. To prepare for the reopening at the end of July much had to be done. The emphasis was on safety. It was necessary to keep our volunteers safe; it was necessary to keep our customers safe; it was necessary to keep residents living in other parts of the building safe. (Settle Community Library is housed in part of a building owned by Housing 21 – an Housing Association – which operates an Extra Care Facility in the same building). A Risk Assessment was carried out and circulated. On 30 June 2020 the Library’s shelving was repositioned to create a one-way system based on the fire door as the new main entrance. This was done to avoid our customers having to access the Library via the Extra Care Facility. A thorough clean of the Library was carried out by 4 volunteers on 3 July. After that PPE was obtained, hand sanitiser was acquired, desk screens were positioned, plastic storage boxes for returned books were bought, our Meetings Room was designated for the 72-hour quarantining of returned books, and other actions, including the training of volunteers in new procedures, were undertaken to make the Library safe and ready for reopening. All our volunteers (who act as Library Assistants) were contacted to see who would feel able to resume shift duties with the public. Understandably some felt that it was inappropriate to restart, at least until the virus was under control and vaccinations had been administered. Of these some were happy to come into the Library for the reshelving of books after they’d been quarantined when the Library was not open to the public. Some 20 or so of our volunteers felt that with all the precautions taken it was safe enough for them to resume public-facing duties.
So the Library reopened on 3 half-days a week on 30 July with a fourth half-day added on 5 October. The second national lockdown led to a further closure on 4 November with a reopening on 12 April 2021. The year has been dominated by Covid closures. However, during the second national lockdown it was possible to keep the Home Library Service functioning. This is the service by which books are delivered to customers in their own homes.
As always a big debt of gratitude is due to all our volunteers – Library Assistants, Management Committee members, Home Library selectors and deliverers, plus other “behind-the-scenes” volunteers – who keep the Library running smoothly and efficiently. The total number of volunteers is 50. Without their dedicated efforts Settle Community Library could not continue. We work in a close and fruitful partnership with the North Yorkshire County Council Library Service as one of the 31 Community Libraries in the County.
Our Charity – Settle Community Library – has a registration number of 1170977 and is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The address is:
Limestone View (Housing 21), Lower Greenfoot, Settle, North Yorkshire. BD24 9RB.
The Trustees at 31/3/2021 were:
Cedric Broadey, Debi Burridge, Alastair Cook, Ian Dryburgh, Susan Fisher, Richard Moss, Hazel Richardson, David Taylor, Ian Tennant, John Terry.
In addition our North Yorkshire Outreach Librarian John Frankland attends Management Committee meetings as do two Associate Members – Tanya Carter and Jennifer Warner plus Debi Rymer representing Settle Town Council. These 4 people do not have voting rights.
The Library has a structure of a Management Committee responsible for governance with Sub-Groups (Operations, Activities and Communications, Finance, and Home Library Service) which report to the Management Committee.
Objectives for the year in question have been curtailed by the Covid pandemic but with an overall objective of providing standard library services when not in lockdown.
In terms of finance the Library is in a comfortable position. Our Reserves Policy dictates that we should always have a reserve in the bank of £3,500. At 31/3/2021 the bank account was considerably in excess of this amount. Income comes from contributions from North Yorkshire County Council, from Town and Parish Councils, from fines, book reservations, book sales, computer and photocopier use, and contributions from the community by way of donations and fees from the Friends of Settle Community Library Scheme. We have no debts and no funds are held as custodian trustee.
The Library is buoyant and effective being well-placed to maintain services and to develop in the next few years.
Ian Tennant
Chairperson, Settle Community Library Management Committee, 10/11/2021.
Approved by SCL MC, 7 January 2022
Settle Community Library Profit and Loss 2020/21
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Income and Expenditure
Notes 2020/2021 2019/2020
Income
Sundry Income. £610.20 £3,797.75
Room/Library Hire £0.00 £55.00
Fund Raising events £14.18 £307.48
Friends of Library £446.79 £360.00
Public Donations £0.00 £900.00
Parish Council Grants £100.00 £200.00
Settle Town C. Grants £0.00 £0.00
Craven/Govt Grants £20,677.68 £0.00
NYC Grants £0.00 £35.00
Total Income £21,848.85 £5,655.23
Expenditure
Fixed Overhead £3,187.68 £2,977.53
Utilities & Services. £883.45 £1,119.33
Training £0.00 £0.00
Repairs and renewals £197.69 £1,542.13
Marketing & Administration £250.18 £272.66
Insurance £330.00 £222.90
Office Supplies £1,023.21 £83.35
Social Expenditure £105.00 £103.97
Purchase for resale £0.00 £0.00
Total Expenditure £5,977.21 £6,321.87
Income-expenditure at year end £15,871.64 -£666.64
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